Has anyone upgraded to the acrylic platter for the Debut III ? Noticeable difference in sound quality / worth it ?

I kind of want to just because the mat is kind of annoying, especially when it gets stuck to the record and falls off. Also it's the same size as an LP unlike the stock one. As far as actual sound difference I have no idea..

what is a better turn table accross the board without considering cost?

technics 1200 or pro-ject III ?

Can't comment on the Technics, but I've had a pro-ject debut III for about three years now and couldn't be happier with it. Tons of punch and great dynamics for the price range.

What kind of setup do you have with it?

Not sure of the exact models since I'm at work now and can't check, but :
Cambridge Audio amp
Sony (mid 2000's) receiver
Two 4 foot tall Panasonic floor speakers + Sony sub when necessary.

Sounds great to my ears and much better than the cheapo Sony turntable I had for the decade prior to the debut III.

Has anyone upgraded to the acrylic platter for the Debut III ? Noticeable difference in sound quality / worth it ?

This may be the dumbest question of all time - but I'm curious as to the nature of how pre-amp / power-amp or generally how audio amps work in regards to home audio equipment. In the past I always just had a reciever and that was it. How exactly does a pre-amp or power-amp or any sort of audio amp factor into the chain of turntable > reciever > speakers > my ears ? I'm assuming it just goes into the reciever somehow.

Also - any reciever I've had in the past, or looked at with phono inputs has the sort of female input for speaker cable where you have to shred the wire back and stuff it in there and it's always a mess and blah blah - is there a reciever out there I can get with a phono input that can take 1/4" or 1/8" inputs instead? I have a pair of amazing powered Tannoy studio monitors that have 1/4" male inputs that I'd love to be able to use. But I guess I'd need a reciever that can take 1/4" male inputs or at least 1/8" inputs (with an adapter) and also has phono in order to be able to use them. If said reciever had an input for my computer as well that'd be amazing. Any ideas?

These questions are probably really basic and retarded but I've been out of the home audio game for a minute. If I hit google hard enough I could probably answer them myself, but it's funner to ask here I guess.

This may be the dumbest question of all time - but I'm curious as to the nature of how pre-amp / power-amp or generally how audio amps work in regards to home audio equipment.

(...)

is there a reciever out there I can get with a phono input that can take 1/4" or 1/8" inputs instead?

It looks like by "amp" he meant the phono stage you need to amplify the cartridge signal into the receiver and correct it according to the RIAA standard. It's not the rule nowadays to have this feature native to the turntable or the receiver.

Regarding the receiver inputs, the usual is to have regular A/V female plugs.

Has anyone upgraded to the acrylic platter for the Debut III ? Noticeable difference in sound quality / worth it ?

I kind of want to just because the mat is kind of annoying, especially when it gets stuck to the record and falls off. Also it's the same size as an LP unlike the stock one. As far as actual sound difference I have no idea..

My situation is worse. In the weeks after I got the turntable, my brother in law was living with us and one day upon coming home from work I noticed that the counter-weight was gone, as was the fucking mat ! Both him and my wife deny knowing what happened to either piece. I was able to get a replacement counter-weight from the shop I bought the TT at.
I still cannot find a replacement mat, because, as you mentioned, it's smaller than standard LP size. I bought a normal felt mat, but it refused to lay flat on the small platter, and thus made the records wobble. I finally settled on using the old rubber mat from my Sony TT. Because it's heavier than the felt, it actually lays flat and the records do as well... but it looks ugly as hell, and I worry that the added weight is putting more stress on the motor/bearings.

I still want to know what the hell happened to the mat. The brother in law doesn't even listen to much music, let alone records so I have no idea why he's mess with the turntable. My only guess is that he somehow spilled something on it (but the dust cover would have been down after I used it... ) and panicked and threw everything out or something ? It's a mystery that will most likely haunt me to my grave.

It looks like by "amp" he meant the phono stage you need to amplify the cartridge signal into the receiver and correct it according to the RIAA standard. It's not the rule nowadays to have this feature native to the turntable or the receiver.

Regarding the receiver inputs, the usual is to have regular A/V female plugs.

Yes, I was referring to the phono stage/pre amp. And yes, I run regular old red/white RCA a/v plugs from the TT to the pre amp to the receiver.

The important thing to remember is that practically every other medium, tape or CD is already pre-amplified. In and of itself, the cartridge produces a far smaller voltage, comparable to a microphone or a guitar pickup and therefore need to be brought up to the level of a cd or tape player.

This may be the dumbest question of all time - but I'm curious as to the nature of how pre-amp / power-amp or generally how audio amps work in regards to home audio equipment. In the past I always just had a reciever and that was it. How exactly does a pre-amp or power-amp or any sort of audio amp factor into the chain of turntable > reciever > speakers > my ears ? I'm assuming it just goes into the reciever somehow.

I am trying to figure this out now as well. This amazon guide was a good read.

But I am still having hard time figuring out the cost benefit for different preamps.

I'm thinking of getting this [url=http://www.amazon.com/TC-750LC-BLACK-Professional-Moving-Magnet/dp/B000A36XZS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top ]TCC TC-750LC[/url] but am willing to spend more if I could just understand why.

^^Is this all new equipment, or did you shop around for good used shit? how much the receiver set you back?

Harman Kardon has their own ebay store that sells factory refurbished units that come with the original warranty intact. This particular one I got is normally priced $350-$400 - and I got it for $199 w/ free shipping and the warranty.